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Caught with a girl by his wife, Bharatsinh Solanki announces a short break from politics, levels several allegations against his wife

OpIndia Staff
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Caught with a girl by his wife, Bharatsinh Solanki announces a short break from politics, levels several allegations against his wife

Veteran Congress leader, and former state president Bharatsinh Solanki has announced a short break from politics. With elections due later this year in the state, this has come as a major blow to Congress. Solanki announced this decision at a press conference to address the issue of the video featuring him that went viral this week.

In the viral video, Solanki’s wife caught him with a girl in the girl’s house, and that even led to a physical altercation. During the press conference, Bharatsinh Solanki leveled several allegations against his wife, with whom he has been having a long-standing dispute. He also talked about the girl seen in the video during the press conference.

In this press conference, Bharatsinh Solanki said, “This issue is going on for quite some time now and the people were asking why I am not saying anything about the matter. For seven months there was a certain political situation in Gujarat and a personal dispute for me. Because of this, many people told me to speak. Political situations have been a part of my life since I entered politics in 1992 and it still continues. In my 30 years of public life, there have been no allegations against me. But when we are about to go into an election, something new arises all of a sudden.”

About the girl seen in the viral video, Bharatsinh Solanki said, “About my viral video everyone was saying that I was involved in illicit activity with the girl, but I had gone to have ice cream. That house belonged to the girl Riddhi Parmar. Let me be frank and tell you that if I get rid of my wife, she will be ready to accept me and it will be my third marriage. If someone agrees to accept me, then I am destined to have a third marriage.”

Bharatsinh Solanki added, “Instead of talking about inflation and the problems of Gujarat, the focus has shifted to someone’s married life and it is presented as the prime problem in the society. Divorce is a thing that is discussed in many families in this country. If the discussions in the family don’t reach any conclusion then there is a court to decide it. Why frequently discuss it on a political platform with a political intent?”

Bharatsinh Solanki leveled allegations against his wife Reshma Patel

In this press conference, Bharatsinh Solanki accused his wife Reshma Patel of joining hands with the opponents of the Congress party and doing ‘all these dramas’ to cause damage to Solanki and Congress.

Bharatsinh Solanki said, “She has always talked about having the property in her name. Even when I was brought out of the ICU, she asks what about money. She is not interested in anything except where my money is kept. She sold the belongings of my house. During the lockdown, my wife had sold cars and threatened the servants, and dismissed them. My wife is only interested in money and property. I don’t have any children, so if I die, everything will go to my wife. But she lacks patience. She is only interested in wealth and she does only those things which would get her my wealth at the earliest.”

Leveling further allegations against his wife, Solanki said, “I had even stopped eating when they took me home from the hospital. There are instances when something was mixed in my food and tea. I sent a legal notice as my life was at risk. She has also claimed the property of her uncles. She would often go to the quack babas to inquire when and how would I die.”

West Bengal: One killed and several injured in explosion while making bombs, TMC leader Ekbal Ahmed who owns the house arrested

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: One killed and several injured in explosion while making bombs, TMC leader Ekbal Ahmed who owns the house arrested

Another bomb making cottage factory exploded in West Bengal yesterday, which happened to be the residence of a local Trinamool Congress leader. The incident took place in Hingalganj village in North 24 Parganas district, where the house of TMC leader Ekbal Ahmed exploded while crude bombs were being made. Reportedly, one person died in the blast while another several others were injured.

It happened on Thursday night, when while allegedly making crude bombs, one of them exploded due to some accident. This explosion caused a series of explosions of already made bombs, aided by materials used for making the bombs. It caused such a massive blast that the entire house was blown off.

One person died in the incident, who has not been identified as Ataur Sardar. One hand of a 25-year-old man named Sujan Gazi was blown by the massive blast. However, according to the villagers, Sujan is hiding somewhere instead of seeking treatment. Several other persons were also injured in the incident.

The blast caused a panic among the villagers, who could not sleep due to the sound of explosion and the screams of the injured victims. First they heard the sound of one explosion, but after few moments a series of blasts started. The blasts went on for a long time, indicating there was a large stockpile of completed bombs. Initially the villagers had locked themselves in their houses in fear, as they didn’t know what was happening. But when the sounds of blasts ended, they came out and reached the spot. They have reported spotting several injured people.

The villagers informed that police, and the police shifted the injured to the hospital. However, one of them was declared death. The body of the dead victim was burnt beyond recognition, but later authorities were able to identify him as Ataur Sardar.

The villagers are still in panic bomb fearing presence of more bombs in the area. A large police force has been deployed in the village, and the village is being searched to see if there are more bombs or bomb making units in the village.

Later police reached the site and started an investigation. The house has been completely cordoned off by the cops, and the villagers are being questioned. Reportedly, remains of a large cache of bomb making material has been found in the house.

TMC leader Ekbal Ahmed, the owner of the house, was absconding after the incident, but later on he was arrested by police. Notably, Ahmed’s wife Arfa Bibi is a member of the Panchayat.

Regarding the reason for making the bombs, it is being speculated that it can be due to rivalry between two contractors. Reportedly, some days ago two contractors were involved in a dispute over renovation of a pond in the village. Villagers are speculating that the bombs could have been made to settle this dispute. Police are also considering this angle while probing the case.

Targeted killings of Hindus in Kashmir: The Left blames everyone, including a movie, except Islamic terrorism

Jinit Jain
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Targeted killings of Hindus in Kashmir: The Left blames everyone, including a movie, except Islamic terrorism

Kashmir is in the throes of targeted killings, with Islamic terrorists singling out and murdering Kashmiri Hindus and non-native Hindus living in the Valley. As per official data, over 16 people have died in targeted killings, including police officials, teachers and sarpanch.

With the frequency of the attacks increasing, the Hindus in Kashmir are compelled to reconsider their decision to stay in the Valley even as Islamic terrorists continue with their ethnic-cleansing exercise. The Islamic terrorists have not only claimed responsibility for the recent spate of targeted killings of Hindus but have also warned of similar attacks in future.

The security assessment by intelligence agencies also points toward an increase in the targeted attacks in the coming days. The grim situation in Kashmir reminded the Hindus of the Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus in the 1990s when Islamic terrorism forced thousands and lakhs of indigenous Hindus to leave their decades and perhaps centuries-old homes and seek refuge in other safer parts of the country.

However, for some, the recent spate of gruesome violence unleashed against Hindus in Kashmir has brought with it an opportunity to further their petty political agenda, even if that means trampling upon the concerns harboured by Hindus and whitewashing the culprits responsible for this predicament.

The usual suspects use the plight of Hindus in Kashmir to further the Left’s propaganda

Arfa Khanum Shervani, a journalist with the far-left propaganda portal TheWire, recently posted a tweet holding everyone responsible for the plight of Hindus in Kashmir except their perpetrators: Islamic terrorists.

In a tweet posted in Hindi, Shervani went on to blame even the makers of the recent blockbuster ‘The Kashmir Files’, a movie that chronicles the atrocities faced by Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley and their subsequent exodus in the 1990s, but not the Islamic terrorists and Jihadis who forced them to leave Kashmir in the first place.

Kashmir Hindus
Source: Twitter

Sherwani’s colleague, Rohini Singh, another journalist working with TheWire, also mocked the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits to score political brownie points against their ideological opponents. In a tweet, Singh made light of the atrocities and targeted killings endured by Hindus in Kashmir and alleged that the recent exodus by them is not migration but an attempt to find people who were pained after watching ‘The Kashmir Files’ and had lent their support to the Kashmiri Hindus.

Source: Twitter

Clearly, TheWire journalists Rohini Singh and Arfa Khanum Sherwani appear to have no sympathy for the Hindus who have been assassinated in dastardly attacks in Kashmir and the continued threats the remaining Hindus face. For them, the targeted attacks against Hindus are nothing but yet another opportunity to ridicule their opponents, including the makers and supporters of ‘The Kashmir Files’, because the movie presented unvarnished truth about the rampancy of Islamic terrorism in Kashmir.

Then, there were other usual suspects who blamed everyone and everything for the violence in Kashmir but Islamic terrorism. Ironically, the same lot feels no qualms in caterwauling about perceived “Hindu terror” even when the evidence suggests the contrary.

Kashmir Hindus
Source: Twitter

Controversial journalist and donation-fraud accused Rana Ayyub also could not bring herself to blame the menace of Islamic terrorism for the current predicament of minority Hindus in the Muslim-majority Kashmir. Instead, she used a broad brush to hold the entire country responsible for the recent strings of targeted killings in Kashmir.

Kashmir Hindus
Source: Twitter

The Left’s yearslong propaganda to shield Islamic terrorism in the Valley

For the first time in over three decades, an honest attempt in the form of ‘The Kashmir Files’ brought to the silver screen the trials and tribulations faced by the minority Kashmiri Pandits in the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir. This had, predictably, raised the hackles of the left-liberal intelligentsia, who has for years engaged in the pursuit of whitewashing Islamic terrorism and pinning the blame of the exodus on the policies implemented by New Delhi.

The left-leaning liberals revelled in this kind of self-flagellation because it not only passed the buck of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus on the faceless administration but it also shielded the insidious Islamic terrorism, for it would have debunked their claim that Kashmir is a political problem and not a religious one. The recent spate of killings in Kashmir has its roots in Islamic supremacism, which advocates the supremacy of Islam and considers followers of all other religions, especially Hinduism, as kafirs and therefore deserving of nothing short of death.

The left-leaning liberals’ reticence in calling out Islamic terrorism in Kashmir stems from sharing the same ideological moorings

Terrorists and jihadis, intoxicated over the belief of Islamic supremacism, have launched well-planned attacks against Hindus in Kashmir to deter other Hindus from visiting the Valley and threatening the existing ones to leave Kashmir immediately. The liberals won’t call out the jihadist mentality that is powering the current orgy of violence in Kashmir because they share their ideological moorings with the Islamists. Unmitigated hatred for Hindus and Hinduism forms the cornerstone of ideological beliefs for both Islamists and left-leaning liberals.

This common ground is why, over the years, the left-leaning liberals have deceitfully tried to conceal this truth by blaming New Delhi and successive governments at the Centre for the festering problem in Kashmir. In fact, many liberals have even held Hindus, the victims of Islamic terrorism, responsible for the violence that has gripped the Valley.

The threats faced by Kashmiri Hindus since the 1990s have not receded one bit. They continue to exist and manifest themselves periodically in the repeated attacks against Amarnath pilgrims, terror attacks against Armed Forces, and targeted killings of Hindus as witnessed recently. But admitting to the ubiquity of Islamic terrorism would be ideologically catastrophic for the liberals as it would vindicate Hindus who have been insisting for years that the Kashmiri Pandit exodus is a result of rising Islamism in the Valley.

Mocking ‘The Kashmir Files’, blaming the Centre for the Kashmir crisis: An age-old method by the Left to deflect criticism and shield Islamic terrorism

However, for the detractors like Arfa Khanum Sherwani and Rohini Singh, who are still stung by ‘The Kashmir Files’ for exposing their meticulously crafted propaganda on Kashmir, and nurse pathological hatred toward PM Modi and the BJP, every untoward incident in the Valley is an occasion to ridicule the movie and lambast the Centre to undermine their credibility and deflect the criticism away from the actual cause: Islamic terrorism.

The makers and supporters of ‘The Kashmir Files’ never claimed that the movie would serve to end the violence that has become endemic to Kashmir. Instead, they asserted that the film was a medium to bring forth the scourge of Islamic terrorism faced by Kashmiri Hindus that the liberals and their political allies have shamefully brushed under the rug.

As the Islamic terrorism in Kashmir once again rears its ugly head, the left-liberal gang is busy taking potshots at their political and ideological opponents, instead of grasping the nettle and calling out the menace of Jihadis that ails Kashmir.

Violence erupts in Kanpur as Islamists protest against BJP leader Nupur Sharma, hundreds pelt stones at Police after Friday Namaz

OpIndia Staff
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Violence erupts in Kanpur as Islamists protest against BJP leader Nupur Sharma, hundreds pelt stones at Police after Friday Namaz

Days after BJP Spokeswoman Nupur Sharma received death threats for allegedly committing ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad, severe violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district over it. The Muslim community had given a call for a shutdown in the area to protest against Sharma, and the shutdown turned violent after the Friday prayers.

According to the reports, the members from the Muslim community clashed with the State Police and other civilians and pelted stones in the Becongunj area near Yatimkhana. Controversy erupted after Muslim leader Hayat Zafar Hashmi called for ‘market bandh’ in protest against the alleged remarks made by Sharma last week.

Hundreds of Islamists joined the protest on June 3 and began to pelt stones after the Friday Namaz. The Police responded to the violence and lathi-charged some of the protesters. While they tried to get the situation under control, fierce stone pelting continued intermittently.

Reports mention that the Islamists also carried out a procession to protest against the BJP spokesperson and a couple of shots were also fired. The police, taking cognizance of the event, have deployed the staff of around 12 police stations in the area.

At least six people have been injured in the violence that broke out on the day when both the Prime Minister and the President of India are in the state. Top investors of the country are also currently attending Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2022 ceremony in Kanpur to explore investment opportunities.

USA dog-whistles about minorities in India even as Islamic terrorists murder Hindus in Kashmir, MEA slams the report, calls it ‘biased’

OpIndia Staff
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USA dog-whistles about minorities in India even as Islamic terrorists murder Hindus in Kashmir, MEA slams the report, calls it ‘biased’

On Thursday, the Secretary of the US State Department Antony Blinken released a report at the Foggy Bottom headquarters to allege that the people belonging to the religious minorities in India were under attack and that such attacks continued throughout the year 2021. The attacks included in the report involve killings, assaults, and intimidation.

According to the reports, the US State Department’s annual report to the Congress on international religious freedom released on June 2 listed several incidents of ‘violence’ against minorities in India. It included alleged incidents of ‘cow vigilantism, attacks on religious places and properties owned by Muslims and anti-conversion laws in several states of India’.

The report also accused the Indian authorities of allegedly ignoring the attacks on ‘religious minorities’ and instead accused the country of supporting the ‘rising incidents of attacks on their places of worship’. It further cornered the country for imposing new laws and penalties to curb the forced religious conversions. “Four state governments have laws imposing penalties against so-called forced religious conversions for the purpose of marriage although some state high courts have dismissed cases charged under this law,” the report was quoted.

The Ministry of External Affairs took the cognizance of the report on June 3 and slammed USA for publishing a ‘biased’ viewed report. It stated that vote bank politics was being practised in international relations. “We would urge that assessments based on motivated inputs and biased views be avoided”, said the MEA in its statement.

“As a natural pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights. In our discussion with the US, we have regularly highlighted issues of concern there, including racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence”, the MEA added.

While mentioning the acts of violence, the report selectively mentioned two such cases from the year 2021 where the victim belonged to either the Muslim community or the Christian community. Firstly, it referred to the case from August 2021 where allegations were made by two Muslim men in Jamshedpur that the police had forced them to strip naked to beat them up during an interrogation.

The second case referred by the annual report to back their claim was from September 2021, when a 14-year-old converted Christian boy from Bihar’s Gaya district died after a Hindu mob allegedly threw acid on him. The report also blatantly mentioned the incidents of alleged ‘hate speech against Muslims’ including the one at a Hindu conclave at Uttarakhand’s Haridwar in December. It accused the Hindu monks and Hindutva politicians of urging the Hindus to take up weapons against the Muslim community.

However, it failed to mention the several incidents when the Islamist leaders openly called for genocide and ‘Jihad’ against Hindus. Several radical Islamists and their apologists who claim to be ‘secular and liberal’ have tried their best to peddle the ‘Dara Hua Musalman’ narrative since the Modi-led government has come to power in India. The basic premise of the ‘dara hua Musalman’ narrative is that the individual Muslim is scared to profess his religion in Modi’s India and is under attack for no other reason but their religion.

Islamist leaders like AIMIM’s Waris Pathan, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, Islamist preacher Zakir Naik, Ittehad-e-Millat Council founder Tauqeer Raza Khan, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, etc have incited Muslims against Hindus on various occasions in India. OpIndia has recorded 15 such instances where mainstream Islamic leaders and clerics, including politicians in India, have openly called for the genocide of Hindus.

It is also notable here that the USA, which has had more than a dozen mass shootings in the last few days, tries to lecture India on issues of human rights and freedom.

India had rejected the US state dept report on religious freedom in 2019

It is important to note that the Ministry of External Affairs in the year 2019 had once rejected the US state department’s report on religious freedom saying that it had no locus standi to pronounce on the state of our citizens constitutionally protected rights. “India is a vibrant democracy where the fundamental rights of all its citizens, including minorities, are protected under the Constitution. We see no locus standi for a foreign entity/government to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights”, the MEA had said.

A report by the US State Department had made similar claims back in the year 2019 saying that ‘mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef.’

“Some senior officials of the Hindu-majority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made inflammatory speeches against minority communities. The central and state governments and members of political parties took steps that affected Muslim practices and institutions. Proposals to rename Indian cities with Muslim provenance continued, most notably the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj”, it had stated.

The BJP then had strongly reacted to the report and had said that the document displayed clear bias against the Modi government and BJP. Reportedly, the document published on June 2 also failed to mention several incidents of violence against the Hindu community, the one in minority in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Several Hindus were murdered by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir in the last few months

In an act of targeted killing in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic terrorists shot dead a bank employee named Vijay Kumar in the Kulgam district on June 2. The deceased Vijay Kumar hailed from Hanamangarh in Rajasthan and was employed as the Bank Manager of Elaqahi Dehati Bank.

Also, on June 2, two non-local workers were shot at by Islamic terrorists in Magraypora, in the Chadoora area in Budgam district of central Kashmir. One of them succumbed to the injuries while the other remains in a critical state. As per reports, the deceased worker has been identified as Dilkhush Kumar. He was a resident of Arniya village in the Vaishali district of Bihar. Dilkhush was rushed to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar where he was declared dead on arrival.

This is two days after a high school teacher named Rajni Bala was shot by an Islamic terrorist outside the High School in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam on May 31. As reported earlier, Rajni Bala was a migrant teacher and was a resident of Samba district in Jammu.

On May 17, Ranjit Singh, 52, from Rajouri was killed and three others were injured after terrorists lobbed a hand grenade inside a newly opened wine shop in north Kashmir’s Baramulla.

On May 12, two Islamic terrorists killed a young Kashmiri Pandit named Rahul Bhat at Chadoora in Budgam. Bhat was occupied as a clerk in the Tehsildar’s office. He, who worked hard for his survival, was targeted just for being a Hindu. Terrorists barged into his office and opened fire on him at point-blank range.

On April 13, in yet another incident of targeted killing, the terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir fired upon a Kashmiri Hindu named Satish Kumar Singh Rajput. He was a driver by profession and was a resident of Kakran in Kulgam.

After the attack, a letter of threat named ‘Letter to kafirs’ had been issued by a terror group named Lashker-E-Islam in the valley. “Leave the valley or face dire consequences”, the letter read giving a final warning to Kashmiri Pandits, migrants and ‘RSS agents’. The letter further stated that Kashmiri Hindus will be killed and sent to hell for disobeying their diktat and nobody including PM Modi or Amit Shah will be able to save them.

On April 4, a Kashmiri Hindu named Bal Krishna who was a Medical Shop Owner was attacked by terrorists in Chotigam, Shopian of South Kashmir. He was injured in his legs and hands and was shifted to the hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Following the attack, two other Bihar labourers, Patlashwar Kumar and Jakku Choudhary were attacked in Lajoora village, Pulwama district. While no one died, both people were severely hurt.

On October 6, a 68-year-old man Makhan Lal Bindroo was shot dead at his pharmacy at Iqbal Park in Srinagar in Kashmir. Bindroo was a brave man and was among few Kashmiri Pandit who had refused to leave the valley during the height of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir during the 1990s. Two other civilians were also gunned down by terrorists in two different incidents in the city. All three killings were executed in a similar fashion in quick succession.

In the wake of continued targeted killings of Hindus in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, many of the minority employees have made their minds to leave Kashmir en masse on June 3, giving rise to fears that another exodus, like the one in 1990 is ongoing. Several videos have surfaced on social media showing terrified Hindus preparing to leave the valley.

What more does the US State Department’s annual report say-

According to the reports, the document released by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the police in India had allegedly adopted the practice of arresting people other than Hindus for commenting against Hindus or Hinduism in the media or on social media platforms. It highlighted the quotes of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who had opined that Hindus and Muslims in India had the same DNA and should not be differentiated by religion. “In July, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the RSS, which is commonly considered to be the ideological parent to India’s ruling party BJP, publicly stated that Hindus and Muslims in India had the same DNA and should not be differentiated by religion,” the report said.

It also commented on the developments of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) and said that many of the faith-based NGOs continued to criticize 2020 amendments. “NGOs, including faith-based organisations, continued to criticise 2020 amendments passed to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) as constraining civil society by reducing the amount of foreign funding that NGOs, including religious organizations, could use for administrative purposes and adding onerous oversight and certification requirements”, the report was quoted.

As reported earlier, thousands of NGOs in the last several years, have lost their FCRA licence for failing to comply with the rules. In the last 5 years, from 2017 to 2021, licences of around 1900 NGOs or associations registered under the ‘social’ category have been cancelled by the union government for violation of FCRA rules. On January 1 this year, licences of over 6000 NGOs were expired as they had failed to apply for renewal.

It is worth noting that the annual report that was released by the US State Department gives its own perspective to the status and violations of so-called religious freedom across the globe and has separate chapters on each of the countries.

From Kashmiri Pandit Makhan Lal Bindoo to Hindu bank manager Vijay Kumar, here are the 10 Hindus killed in 36 weeks in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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From Kashmiri Pandit Makhan Lal Bindoo to Hindu bank manager Vijay Kumar, here are the 10 Hindus killed in 36 weeks in Kashmir

The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is reeling from a wave of barbaric killings of Hindus, especially those employed under the Prime Minister’s Package in the valley, by Islamic terrorists. The continuous attacks on Hindus have prompted many to leave Kashmir in large numbers, thereby prompting fears of another exodus like the one in 1990.

There have been about 11 targeted killings of Hindus in the previous 36 weeks, with the number certain to rise if we include other non-local Hindus and Muslim government officials who have also been targeted in the valley recently.

The Islamists see these Kashmiri Pandits and even local Muslims employed by the government in police and other departments as collaborators of the Indian regime in the valley.

While terrorism has never ended in Jammu and Kashmir, killing of civilians by terrorists suddenly peaked from October last year. In the first 6 days of October 2021 itself, 7 civilians were killed, both including several Hindus.

5 October 2021 – Makhan Lal Bindroo

On October 6, 2021, the terrorists shot dead 68-year-old Makhan Lal Bindroo, Kashmiri Pandit owner of the famous Bindroo Medical in Iqbal Park, Srinagar. The murder of Bindroo had shocked the Kashmiri community as he was the last address for patients who couldn’t find medicines elsewhere. Makhan Lal Bindroo was known as a brave man who was among few Kashmiri Pandits who had refused to leave the valley during the height of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir during the 1990s.

5 October 2021  – Virendra Paswan

On the same day, another Hindu was killed, 56-year-old Virendra Paswan, a native of Bhagalpur district of Bihar who was residing in Alamgari Bazar Zadibal. The Dalit Hindu was a street vendor by profession who used to sell bhelpuri at the Hawal area of Srinagar.

Earlier Virendra used to work in a factory in Kolkata, but later the factory was shut down and he was move back to Bihar. In his native place, there were some villagers who worked in Kashmir, and they had convinced him to move there as the income is better there.

One the same day, another civilian Mohd Shafi Lone was also killed by terrorists in the Shahgund area of Bandipore in North Kashmir.

7 October 2021 – Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand

On October 7 last year, terrorists killed two teachers in a school in Srinagar. Principal Satinder Kaur and teacher Deepak Chand died after they were shot at point-blank range at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Idgah, Sangam in Srinagar.

Satinder Kaur belonged to the minority Sikh community, while Deepak Chand belonged to the minority community of Kashmiri Pandits. They were selectively killed for their religion, as the terrorists had separated them from the Muslim teachers before shooting at them.

When the terrorists had stormed into the school, the teachers were having a meting in the principal’s office. They reportedly separated the Muslim teachers and dragged the two non-Muslim teachers out of the school premises. Then they opened fire at them at point-blank range and fled from the spot.

7 October 2021 – Arbind Kumar Sah

Several street vendors were being targeted by terrorists in this month, and on 16th October, another street vendor from Bihar who used to sell golgappa, 30 years old Hindu man Arbind Kumar Sah, was shot dead by a terrorist. Citing eyewitnesses, media reports had stated that a terrorist carrying a pistol had stopped near Arbind Kumar Sah’s vending cart and shot him from point-blank range in Srinagar.

Arbind had reached Jammu and Kashmir only three months ago looking for work.

On the same day, another civilian named Sagir Ahmad from Uttar Pradesh was also killed by terrorists in Pulwama. Ahmad was a carpenter by profession, and he was shot when he was standing outside a shop to purchase some items.

13 April 2022 – Surinder Kumar Singh

On April 13th this year, a civilian named Satish Kumar Singh Rajput was killed in a targeted attack. He was fired upon by terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, and he died after he was shifted to a hospital.

The terrorists had shot Satish Kumar Singh Rajput in the head from a point-blank range in the Pombay Kamprim area of Kulgam district. He was a driver by profession and was a resident of Kakran in Kulgam. He belonged to the Rajput community that had settled in areas bordering Kulgam and Shopian from Punjab about 70 years ago.

The same day, a letter of threat named ‘Letter to kafirs’ was issued by a terror group named Lashker-E-Islam in the valley. “Leave the valley or face dire consequences”, threatened the letter giving a final warning to Kashmiri Pandits, migrants and ‘RSS agents’. The letter further stated that Kashmiri Hindus will be killed and sent to hell for disobeying their diktat and nobody including PM Modi or Amit Shah will be able to save them.

The warning letter to all the ‘non-Muslims’ also noted that they are being watched by ‘followers of Allah’ and that they will have to convert if they want to stay in Kashmir. 

A week before this incident, Kashmiri Pandit Bal Krishan was shot by terrorists near his shop in Choutigam village in Shopian. He critically injured in the attack, and was admitted at a hospital for treatment. Bal Krishan is the owner of a medical shop, and he is a resident of Choutigam.

12 May 2022 – Rahul Bhat

On May 12, a Kashmiri Hindu youth Rahul Bhat was killed by militants in Budgam district. Rahul Bhat worked with the revenue department in the Tehsildar office at Chadoora in Budgam. When he was in the office on that day, terrorists had fired at him in the office premises.

He was immediately rushed to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, but he succumbed to injuries.

Rahul Bhat had got the job of a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2010-11. He belonged to the Durga Nagar area of Jammu, and lived at the Sheikhpora migrant colony in Budgam.

17 May 2022 – Ranjit Singh 

Burqa-clad terrorists had hurled a grenade inside a newly opened wine shop through the porthole window on May 17th, killing one and injuring three others. In the attack in north Kashmir’s Baramulla, one of the employees Ranjit Singh had lost his life.

The other three staff of the shop injured in the attack were Govardhan Singh, Ravi Kumar, and Govind Singh. All four of them are from minority communities in the region hailing from Jammu, therefore it was certain that it was a targeted attack on minorities.

Two terrorists covered in Burqa had arrived on two-wheeler at around 8 pm, who stopped near the shop the Dewan Bagh area , and the pillion rider threw the grenade inside the shop.

Four store employees from Jammu were injured by splinters and were taken to the hospital, where Ranjit Singh of Bakra in Rajouri died. Govardhan Singh, Ravi Kumar, and Govind Singh were the three injured. All four of them are from minority communities in the region, therefore it was certain that it was a targeted attack on minorities.

31 May 2022 – Rajni Bala

On May 31, in yet another targeted killing of a Hindu in Kashmir, 36-year-old Rajni Bala was shot dead by terrorists in Kulgam district’s Gopalpora area. The victim Rajni Bala, wife of Raj Kumaar of Samba district, was working as a teacher at a High School in the Gopalpora area. She was shot outside the school by Islamic terrorists.

The woman teacher had received critical gunshot injuries and was admitted to a hospital. Unfortunately, she later succumbed to her injuries.

This was the second such cowardly incident within a week and the third this month where a Hindu migrant has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley.

Notably, around a week before the attack, Rajni Bala had sought transfer from Kulgam citing terror threats. In a letter written to Chief Education Officer, she had cited “fear and insecurity“ in the wake of targeted killings in Kashmir as the reason of seeking transfer. She had added that her school is located in the Orchard area with no boundaries, and it is not a safe location.

2 June 2022 – Vijay Kumar

On June 2, in another terror act of targeted killing in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic terrorists shot dead a bank employee named Vijay Kumar in the Kulgam district on June 2, Thursday. The deceased Vijay Kumar, who hailed from Hanamangarh in Rajasthan, was the Bank Manager of Elaqahi Dehati Bank. Kumar was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital after he was fired upon by the terrorists at the Arreh Mohanpora Branch in the Kulgam district, where he succumbed to his injuries. 

A terrorist had entered the Areh branch of Elaqahi Dehati Bank and shot Vijay Kumar. The visuals of the terrorist entering the bank and shooting Kumar were recorded in CCTV.

This was the fourth such cowardly incident in the last two months where a Hindu has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley. 

Apart from the Hindu civilians, several local civilian Muslims and policemen were also killed by terrorists during this period. Some Muslims targeted by the Islamic terrorists were accused of being police informer by terrorists. The terrorists also have specifically targeted and killed several sarpanchs belonging to various political parties. This this year so far, 18 civilians have been killed by terrorists. Last year a total of 39 civilians had lost their lives in targeted attacks by Islamic terrorists.

The denial of the genocide of Kashmir’s Hindus has been ingrained in the country’s common psyche for years. The culprits have never been held accountable because of silence, apathy, counter-narratives, and conspiracy theories that blame the victims for the exodus. However, according to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.

Although the administration is doing all possible to ensure the safety of Kashmiri Hindus, the situation in the valley has once again become extremely precarious. Due to the recent rise in the spate of targeted killing of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley, Home Minister Amit Shah on June 2, Thursday, chaired a high-level meeting with Ajit Doval, the National Security Adviser and discussed the ongoing situation in the valley. Prior to this, on June 1, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor chaired a key meeting amid targeted killings and set the deadline as June 6, 2022, to relocate PM Package minority employees to ‘secure locations’ in the valley.

EAM S Jaishankar calls out Europe’s duplicity on Russian energy purchase and pressure on India, calls WSJ report false

OpIndia Staff
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EAM S Jaishankar calls out Europe’s duplicity on Russian energy purchase and pressure on India, calls WSJ report false

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar responded to concerns about India’s position in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the global order during a talk at GLOBSEC 2022 on Thursday. When asked about the Indian stand in the ongoing conflict, Dr Jaishankar stated that Europe must evolve out of the idea that its issues are international problems, but world problems are not Europe’s concerns.

“Europe has to grow out of the mindset that its problems are world’s problems, but world’s problems aren’t Europe’s problems. Today linkages are being made between China & India and what is happening in Ukraine. Come on guys, China & India happened way before Ukraine. It’s not a clever argument,” Jaishankar said.

On being asked about if India would join the US-led axis or China as another potential axis in the world, Dr Jaishankar said, “Don’t think it’s necessary for India to join any axis. India is entitled to make its own choices which will be a balance of its values & interests.”

He further reiterated that India is perfectly capable of handling the situation with China. He said, “If I get a global understanding & support it will be of help. But this idea that I do a transaction, I come in one conflict, because it will help in another conflict, that is not how the world works.”

Referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine and India not aligning either side, he emphasised that India’s foreign policy is not on the fence just because its policies may not be acceptable to other countries. He said, “I am not sitting on the fence just because I don’t agree with you. It means I am sitting on my ground. My ground is actually.. what are the big challenges, climate change, terrorism…”

When questioned if India’s purchase of Russian oil is financing the ongoing conflict, Jaishankar responded, “Tell me buying Russian gas is not funding the war? It’s only Indian money that funds, it’s not gas coming to Europe that funds. Let’s be a little even-handed out here.”

Pointing out and slamming the hypocrisy of the west over the issue, Jaishankar further said, “Look the whole narrative, it has gone up 9 times, it has gone up from a very low base…if countries from the West, Europe, US are so concerned why don’t they allow Iranian oil to come to the market, why don’t they allow Venezuelan oil to come to the market.”

Dr Jaishankar also denied any truth in the report by the Wall Street Journal that India is readying for the transhipment of Russian oil to bypass sanctions. When asked by the Interviewer that if WSJ is inaccurate, Dr Jaishankar replied, “Politely, yes. I can say less politely.”

The WSJ report had claimed that India has emerged as a key hub for trade of Russian oil, claiming that Indian refinery companies are buying cheap Russian oil and selling it in international market after refining on ship to ship basis, hiding the origin of the crude. The report had even claimed that Reliance chartered a tanker to transport alkylate from Sikka port on April 21, and on May 22 the cargo was unloaded in New York. Quoting an analyst, the report claimed that the company refined the product in India and sold in US, adding that other Indian oil companies are also doing the same. “It does look like there’s a trade where Russian crude is refined in India and then some of it is sold to the US,” it had said.

However, Indian refinery companies had already rejected the claims, saying it was a hit job on on successful Indian refining industry. They also pointed out there’s no sanction on Russian oil and gas.

Dr Jaishankar also debunked all claims about the wheat export ban. He said, “I don’t think people understand, because they are not tracking the trade. We have been exporting wheat but then we saw run on our wheat, large part by international traders based in Singapore and UAE.”

He said that low-income countries were being squeezed out. “What we saw is that low-income countries were being squeezed out. It was being stocked. Our goodwill was used for speculation. We will not give speculators open access to the Indian market… like what we saw happening with vaccines, we don’t want to see for wheat. Which is rich people getting vaccinated,” Dr Jaishankar mentioned, adding that India has exported wheat to 23 countries this year.

Why there is no such thing as ‘godi media’

Abhishek Banerjee
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Why there is no such thing as ‘godi media’

Which way does the Indian media lean? If only there was a way to find out for sure. Indeed there is. Have you ever heard of an association called the Press Club of India? The organization represents literally thousands of journalists all across India. All the big names in media, as well as all the names you never heard of, are part of it.

Every year, the Press Club holds an election to choose its office bearers, as they did a few weeks ago. And the dynamics are just as with any other election. There is a campaign, there is intrigue, there is lobbying, as well as suspense about the outcome. So who won?

Ultimately, it wasn’t much of a contest. Those seen as left-liberals swept the elections, winning all 21 seats on the panel. In fact, there are allegations that one side tried to “smear” the other as “BJP supporters.” In the world of media, “left-liberal” is a badge of honour. Calling someone a “BJP supporter” is a form of character assassination. In other words, if you have anything in common with 45% of the population of India, you are an outcast. And so, all 21 seats went to one side. Just think about that.

But wait. What about “godi media?” A bit like the yeti, this so-called “godi media” is supposed to prowl the airwaves and the newspapers, generating tons of positive press coverage for PM Modi. Do you remember how the government failed to run special aeroplanes to get all Indian students (and their exotic pets) airlifted in time from their backyards in Ukraine? Some of them even had to take a crowded train to get out as the bombs were falling. The godi media tried to fool us by saying it was enough for the ministers to greet them with folded hands and roses at Delhi airport. Who will shine their shoes, pack their bags, and carry their luggage?

I am being sarcastic, of course. Even so, can we dismiss the idea of “godi media” offhand? There is a section of media that cheerleads the BJP. We’ve all seen it. We live in a democracy. If the media is not doing its job, then that is a problem for all of us. So let us unravel this, bit by bit, by asking intelligent questions. Who has the power when it comes to the media?

Journalism is a “union of states“

“Feud burns and kills,” ran the headline in one Kolkata based newspaper, a day after 10 people were burned alive in Birbhum in West Bengal. Who is this Feud? Can we arrest him please and bring him to justice? Oh, I know. The accused were all liberal TMC cadres, all of them members of a certain peaceful religion. Having run out of BJP workers to murder and terrorize, they are reduced to killing each other in mafia wars. That is why “Feud” bears all the blame.

What kind of “godi media” is this? Whose lap are they sitting in?

When we talk of “godi media,” let us first establish which elements in Indian media are being accused of cheerleading the BJP. Please give me the name of one Tamil news channel or newspaper that can be accused of being “godi media.” How about Bengali? I know there is one Malayalam channel that may be seen as soft on BJP. But you would be crazy to say that Malayalam media is “godi media.” How about Maharashtra? Show me one Marathi language media house that can speak truth to the power of …

I know. The allegation is against “national media.” But what is “national”? Do you mean Hindi language media? Why do you call that “national”? Does that mean you think Hindi is our national language? In fact, I was told we don’t even have a nation, just a union of states. But whenever necessary, you conveniently paper over all of Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, etc and insist that “Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan” should be taken as the definition of India!

Yes, the BJP does have a clear advantage when it comes to Hindi language media. But that is just because they run most of the Hindi speaking states. In fact, you should check out the affiliates of Hindi language media houses in Chhattisgarh. One was talking about how the Congress CM of Chhattisgarh was making waves in Uttar Pradesh, and how the BJP campaign lacked energy. That’s how the media is, in every state. Whoever rules the state also rules the media.

So tell me what do you find special about the BJP getting positive coverage in Hindi language media? Is Hindi special?

In fact, if you want to see an example of a state where the ruling party does not control the media, it is probably Gujarat. ” “56 ni chhatini kaayarta:,” (roughly translated: “cowardice of 56 inch”) is how Gujarat Samachar mocked PM Modi the day after the terror attack in Pulwama. How is that “godi media“? Did you know Gujarat Samachar is the largest circulated newspaper in the state? Oh, and in case the liberals have forgotten, their most beloved “fact-checking” website is based out of Gujarat too. How much of “godi media” is based out of West Bengal?

What does the gold standard of liberal journalism look like?

Have you ever heard the accusation that so-called “godi media” distracts people from real issues? That’s why Indian liberals, like their counterparts around the world, worship the New York Times. The world’s most powerful newspaper uses a preening tagline for itself: “all the news that’s fit to print.” If it’s not in the New York Times, it is not worth knowing about.

This gold standard then, what does it look like? What is the useless, unprintable stuff that they leave out? For one, hungry babies. There is a baby formula crisis in America right now. New York City has declared an emergency about it. But don’t expect to read this on the front page of the New York Times. Roughly on the same day, the New York Times had a column about real issues. One of their columnists had been invited to lunch at the White House, and he wanted to let the world know that the chocolate milkshake was delicious. So what if the richest city in the world’s richest country has run out of food for babies?

That’s the global gold standard of journalism. Their guy Biden is in power, so you can’t blame him if America has run out of baby food. The columnist went on to say that he left with a feeling that Biden is actually getting less credit from the media than he deserves. This was after he had the chocolate milkshake, obviously. This is what the media would look like if Congress was in power right now. I leave you to imagine what the media was like when Congress had 400 seats.

Hungry babies are irritating. They just sit around in their mothers’ laps, crying and refusing to give credit to President Biden. Real godi media spotted, no?

Liberal media, on the other hand, asks the real questions. Just like when US GDP slipped into negative territory last month, and inflation rocketed to a 40 year high. The New York Times explained that data was “masking” the real recovery. This is the genuine public-interest journalism that liberals wish they could have in India. But we don’t. That is why the New York Times has to carry the burden of speaking the truth to the power of PM Modi, for now.

Who chooses the issues?

I always like to explain a situation like this. Consider a test match to be played between India and Australia. Who has the advantage? The first thing you would ask here is where the test match is being played. If we are playing in Mumbai, we have the advantage. If we are playing in Melbourne, they have the advantage. The players may give their best for their respective sides, but what really matters is who prepared the pitch.

So before you accuse any media of choosing to side with the BJP, you must ask who chose the issue at hand. Okay, so some BJP government arrested a 21-year-old. They walk out of custody after 24 hours and begin their new life as a global thought leader and celebrities. Do you think some pro-BJP media channels are harsh on her? Okay, but why are we even talking about this person? Why not about the dozens of BJP workers who have been murdered in Bengal?

Because while so-called “godi media” chose sides, the liberals chose the issue itself. The “godi media” is simply batting on their pitch. Why was Modi sarkar 5 days late in issuing this or that advisory to students in Ukraine? When the Ukraine thing fizzled out, they rapidly moved on to the next issue. What about hijab in Karnataka? Won’t this “atmosphere” deter foreign investment in the state? Why are petrol prices so high? Why is the BJP government crowing about high GDP growth when it is just due to “base effect”? What is the big deal if India’s GDP has returned to pre-pandemic levels: does it not mean near-zero growth in 2 years? Where is Modi’s $5 trillion GDP: IMF says we can’t reach there before 2029! Why is India’s per capita GDP below Bangladesh now?

No, but wait! Even America or China couldn’t get their people out of Ukraine. Karnataka came first this year among all states in foreign investment. India’s FDI is at record levels. Modi govt reduced petrol prices, the opposition ruled states did not reduce their VAT. All over the world, the focus is on somehow returning to pre-pandemic GDP levels: read the IMF reports. Experts said India would take much longer to reach pre-pandemic levels, but we raced ahead. As for $5 trillion, the IMF admitted that it made a mistake. We are actually expected to reach $5 trillion by 2026. This suggests that without the two years of the pandemic, the 2024 goal was very achievable when it was proposed in 2019. As for Bangladesh’s per capita GDP crossing India, it was fake news. The IMF has accepted its errors and corrected all its arithmetic.

Phew! Do you see what is happening? One side is running non-stop, chasing a moving target that is spewing lies and half-truths at breakneck speed. “Godi media” means nothing if it does not set the agenda.

For instance, what about the allegations of Jharkhand CM granting a mining lease to himself? Can we talk about that? Can we talk about how the model state of Kerala is bankrupt, and begging the centre for a 5000 crore loan? Why is Telangana struggling to pay its govt employees? Can we ask how Punjab became India’s most indebted state? Can we ask about political violence in Bengal? Did you even hear about the 6-month strike in MSRTC, on which the Maharashtra government cracked down by terminating literally thousands of daily wage workers? Or the Anganwadi workers on strike in Delhi?

The so-called “godi media” is not a distraction. In fact, it is “godi media” which is distracted, playing on someone else’s pitch all the time.

The incentives simply are not there for anyone to become “godi media”

With a talent pool of 1.4 billion people, why does India still win so few medals at the Olympic games? Ask anyone in India and they will give you the obvious answer. The incentives are not there. Other countries, especially rich Western ones, do a lot to support their athletes. We don’t.

But wait a second. Who says we don’t have incentives? Those who win Olympic gold medals from India become instant heroes. They are showered with money by governments, corporates, and everyone.

So the real answer is more subtle. Yes, the incentives are there, but it is only for those who make it to the top somehow, swimming against all odds. And therein lies the difference.

This is the real reason there is no such thing as “godi media.” There might be incentives for a handful at the top, but what is there for a young right-wing person who wants to get into journalism? At the beginning of this article, I mentioned the Press Club of India and how the leftists swept all 21 seats there. How do you think a young person would react when they see that kind of stranglehold? Journalism is not a highly paid profession. At the lower levels, they make almost nothing at all. Their entire career depends on who they meet and who recommends them. Like most Indians who had the potential to become athletes, those with right-wing sympathies won’t even try to get into media.

Do you know who is the President of the Mumbai Press Club? It’s someone who is associated with The Wire. Now put yourself in the shoes of some 21 year old who is sympathetic to the BJP. Would you even try to get into media?

So here is the incentive structure for a young left-winger getting into media. You will be walking into an environment where everyone loves and admires your ideology. There are plenty of avenues for advancement. You know this because you see your ideological heroes winning awards and honours each day. Both at the domestic level, and the highly sought after ones at the international level. The Pulitzers, the Magsaysay’s, full-length pieces in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, Guardian, you name it. You see the most vituperative, hateful anti-Modi rants routinely appearing in global media. There are no sanity checks at all. One guy said that anybody who uses the word “Bharat” might be a secret Nazi. And he had a front-page feature in TIME Magazine.

As for a right-winger, there might be some incentives. But you better make some assumptions first. Let’s hope that your first boss, a lifelong comrade, treats you well despite the fact that he considers you a fascist. You will have 99 colleagues in your entry-level position, who will cooperate with you despite calling you a Nazi. And when it is time for promotion, hope that your talent shines so bright that your comrade boss recommends your name instead of one of the 99 people that s/he likes. And who knows? Maybe the BJP will win the next 4 Lok Sabha elections as well, as you work your way through your 20s into your 40s. And then you might one day end up as a top-level anchor on a “godi media” channel. It is certainly possible.

Also, do you want the world to recognize your talent? If your talent is so extraordinary, maybe the New York Times, which hasn’t changed its ideology in 100 years, will decide to make an exception for you. The incentives are there, my friend. You just have to be the best journalist in the last century. And your bosses have to be the nicest people on earth. Go ahead, give it a try…

The lack of experience in “godi media” shows

In the early days of the American republic, the robber barons who built railroads across the vast country often met with a lot of local opposition. There was a standard way for them to get around this problem. In those days, most cities would have two competing newspapers, on opposite ends of the political spectrum. The trick was to buy up both newspapers, secretly. The newspapers would then be allowed to continue their apparent quarrel in public view. One newspaper would take a sharply pro-railroad position. The other would attack the railroad, but over trivial issues. The more trivial the matter, the sharper the rhetoric. Behind the scenes, the two newspapers were actually cooperating, guiding the public towards the pro-railroad position.

Corruption in the media is not new. But this example shows you that it is a sophisticated thing, not for dummies. Which is your favorite hardcore leftist newspaper or news channel? You can almost certainly find a couple of instances when they stood up for some little injustice that a BJP supporter suffered somewhere. Did Mamata Banerjee arrest someone for posting a cartoon? Oh no! The left-wing ecosystem is going to condemn it, sometimes in unison.

It’s engineered outrage. It is designed to create a smokescreen that will allow them to stay silent on much bigger stuff. When they complain about the guy who was arrested over a cartoon, they are building plausible deniability to stay silent when dozens of BJP workers are massacred. They are not biased, they just missed a few stories at most. The less important stuff was covered precisely so that the more important stuff could be covered up!

This is not the only trick. The liberal media hasn’t spent the last 100 years dominating the world while being clueless. The other day an article in the Wall Street Journal came out, detailing how India’s increased oil purchases were helping the Russian invasion. It began with a tiny bit about Europe’s failures, then went extensively into India’s conduct. It concluded with another tiny bit about China doing the same. The author knows which part will catch the reader’s eye, and where to use the most emotive language. The author knows at what point people are likely to stop paying interest. But on the whole, there is deniability. They mentioned everyone: China, Europe and India, so you can’t call it lobbying. It is a work of art.

Take the Gyanvapi case. Do you think liberals did not realize that videos would soon reveal the Shivling? Then why would they spread nonsensical talking points about it being a fountain? The aim was to create a heavy first round of media articles calling it a fountain. Now later on, no matter how much you try, those articles will remain. Anyone writing in future can claim that there was a controversy over whether it was a fountain or a Shivling! And it would be factually accurate as well. The later part, where everyone could see that it was a Shivling, can be conveniently left out.

This is what they did with the Godhra carnage. At the very beginning, they spread a bunch of lies about who set fire to the train. Now they just reference that controversy and omit the mention of the convictions and the court judgements that came much later.

As it stands today, such a sophisticated propaganda operation is simply beyond the capability of so-called “godi media.” And why? Because the talent pool they have to work with is extremely small. And whatever little comes through has no experience in propaganda. They haven’t trained with bosses who show them when to say “Delhi man killed” and when to say “man of XYZ religion killed.” They eliminated every potential right-winger from the media at age 21 or less. Just like every potential Olympic gold medalist swimmer from India is probably working some dead-end job today. Their village never had a swimming pool, they didn’t know where to train and how.

Conclusion

Godi media. The term has gone viral among anyone who does not like the BJP. Along with every other conspiracy theory. The infamous “IT cell” is out to get them, the Supreme Court is compromised, the EVMs are hacked, Covid spreads only in BJP rallies, and so on. Even the famously left-leaning big tech companies like Twitter are in the pocket of Modi.

As a matter of fact, the spectre of “godi media” is yet another phantom threat created by liberals to fool their ordinary supporters, and perhaps even themselves. Anything to divert from the fact that they are hopelessly out of touch with real people, and have a weak, incompetent, and fumbling leadership. That people have not completely forgotten how things used to work in the old days, when govt project completion dates were a joke. When govt schemes were a joke. It took India 60 years to surpass Pakistan in per capita GDP. The magic is that most people never even heard about it. They were taught instead about who went to Doon school and who went to Cambridge. About how criminal mafia bosses were simply “grassroots leaders,” corruption was labelled as “social justice,” and appeasing the most intolerant was called “secularism.”

In the greatest irony, “godi media” itself became another propaganda victory for the liberal crowd. Back in the days of liberal rule, they didn’t even have anyone to outrage against. They continued their war against phantom opponents. Who stopped India’s progress between 1947 and 1991? It was always the BJP, which never had a Prime Minister till 1996! Rahul Gandhi’s entire family has been fighting for the poor and the oppressed since 1947. Who were the oppressors? The RSS, obviously. Behind every corrupt officer who took bribes, behind every business that was shut down (or was never started at all) due to license-quota-permit raj, behind every person who committed atrocities in the name of caste or religion, there was the secret hand of the RSS. For some reason, from big business houses to zamindars in every village, all ruling class members have been loyal to the RSS for 60 years. The Nehru Gandhi dynasty was a lone voice fighting their collective power.

By 2014, these fantasy stories of RSS power had worn thin. But look at their achievement. The liberal media successfully convinced people for 60 years that Nehru, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia were rebels taking on the RSS establishment. This is how good they are at their job.

Post-2014, the same liberal media has actual bogeymen to work with. There are a couple of newspapers and television channels now that take the BJP’s side. Imagine how much moral panic the liberals can squeeze out now.

That’s why the outrage over “godi media.” Always spreading lies, taking cues from “IT cell” and “Whatsapp University.” You know, like “godi media” said last year that Khalistani elements were spreading their footprint in Punjab. And that they were using Canada as a base. That was all lies, right? Are you still sure about that?

“Will take care of the culprit in Naga style”, Nagaland Minister fumes after miscreant blackmails him with doctored video

OpIndia Staff
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“Will take care of the culprit in Naga style”, Nagaland Minister fumes after miscreant blackmails him with doctored video

On Friday (June 3), BJP (Nagaland) leader Temjen Imna Along took to Twitter to share the news that a miscreant has morphed one of his public videos with adult scenes, and is trying to blackmail him using that video. He added that the accused has demanded money in exchange for not making the doctored video public.

In a statement, he said, “Mostly, I have been active on social media platforms to connect with my fellow citizens and interact with them. I have also been interacting with people through Video Calls.”

“However, taking advantage of my social media appearances, in order to defame my reputation, an unknown miscreant has edited my video with an adult video showcasing some vulgar scenes,” he further added.

“He/She has also blackmailed me and demanded a lump sum to avoid uploading edited videos on social media platforms. If anyone receives any message as such, kindly report it to me by sending me the ID or Phone Number,” Temjen Imna Along remarked.

The BJP leader also informed that he has lodged a complaint with the police and sought help from the public to find the blackmailer.

“I will take good care of him in our Naga style after I get to know his identity,” he warned.

Temjen Imna Along is the Minister of Higher Education and Tribal Affairs in the Government of Nagaland. He is also the State President of the BJP.

Maharashtra: Conspirators behind Nanded-based builder Sanjay Biyani’s murder arrested, pro-Khalistan outfit’s Harvinder Singh Rinda identified as the mastermind

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Conspirators behind Nanded-based builder Sanjay Biyani’s murder arrested, pro-Khalistan outfit’s Harvinder Singh Rinda identified as the mastermind

The police have succeeded in arresting the conspirators of builder Sanjay Biyani’s murder that took place on 5th April 2022 in Nanded city of Maharashtra. The special investigation team (SIT) of the Nanded police has arrested seven persons in connection with the case.

The police said that Harvinder Singh Rinda is the mastermind of the murder and the arrested seven were involved in the conspiracy along with him. Rinda, according to Punjab police, is linked with the Khalistani organization Babbar Khalsa International and he operates from the Punjab province of Pakistan. The motive behind Sanjay Biyani’s murder was extorsion and spreading fear in the minds of other businessmen in Nanded city.

According to a report by the Indian Express, Nisari Tamboli, Deputy Inspector General (Nanded Range) said, “Rinda was in touch with one of the arrested accused and the shooters over the phone.” All the seven people arrested are residents of Nanded. The arrested include Indrapal singh alias Sunny P Tirat singh Major (age 35), Mukteshwar alias Golu Vijay Mangnale (age 25), Satnam Singh alias Satta P Dalbir Singh Shergill (age 28), Hardeep Singh alias Sonu Pinipana P Satnam Singh Bajwa (age 35), Gurmukh Singh alias Guri P Sevak Singh Gill (age 24), and Karanjit Singh P Raghbir Singh Sahu (age 30). The seventh accused was arrested from Patiala in Punjab on Wednesday with the help of Punjab police. He is identified as Hardip Singh alias Hadi Babansingh Sapure (age 28).

Pramod Shewale, Superintendent of Nanded police said, “We produced all the accused before a magistrate court and got their custody till June 10.” The 80-member SIT led by Additional SP V9jay Kabade is still searching for the two shooters.

Builder Sanjay Biyani and his murder

Builder Sanjay Biyani was murdered on 5th April 2022 in Nanded. He was shot dead by two assassins outside his residence in Sharada Nagar. When Biyani stepped down from his car and was entering his bungalow, the two shooters who came there on a bike opened fire on him. Several rounds were fired during the attack and Sanjay Biyani was seriously injured. He was admitted to a local private hospital where he breathed his last. The shooting incident was captured on a CCTV.

Sanjay Biyani was a famous name in the construction business of Nanded. He was a resident of Kolambi village in Naigaon taluka. Sanjay Biyani settled in Nanded 10 years ago. He initially ran an advertising agency on a local cable network. Later he started a construction business and within a short span of time, he became a prominent businessman. He had good relations with all the political leaders of the district. Just a week before Sanjay Biyani’s murder, the guardian minister of Nanded district and Maharashtra’s former chief minister Ashok Chavan had inaugurated one of the projects by Sanjay Biyani.

Sanjay Biyani received a WhatsApp call from Harvinder Singh Rinda in 2019. In this call, Rinda tried to extort money from him by threatening to kill him. According to the police, Biyani had reported this to the local police station and asked for security. The police had also provided him the security but during the pandemic period, the security cover provided to the builder was removed.

Who is Rinda?

Rinda is from the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. When he was 11, he shifted to Nanded Sahib in Maharashtra with his family. As per police records, at the age of 18, he had killed one of his relatives in Tarn Taran over a family dispute.

When in Nanded, he started extorting money from local traders and killed at least two people. He is currently hiding in Pakistan and wanted by Chandigarh police in at least four criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion, and under the Arms Act. These cases were registered between 2016 and 2018. He is also booked in many cases in Maharashtra and Punjab. The 35-year-old Rinda is reportedly an ISI stooge and is a key suspect in carrying out a terror attack at the Nawanshahar Crime Investigating Agency (CIA) building on 8th November 2021.

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